Notebook

Notebook, 1993-

MATERIALS & METHODS - A Perspective on Art Education - Activities for Children - Themes & Topics

Drawing & Painting -- Modeling & Sculpting

Fingerpainting -- Mural Making -- Paper-Mâché -- Puppets -- Mask-Making -- Crayon Encaustics -- Crayon Resist Drawing -- Crayon Sgraffito -- Collage -- Mobiles -- Watercolor -- Common Earth Clay -- Salt Ceramic [recipe] -- Clay / plasticene Non-hardening -- Carving in the Round -- Newspaper Modeling -- Paraffin or Wax Sculpture -- Plaster Plaques or Reliefs -- Relief in Plaster -- Relief in Soft Wood -- Repoussé -- Sandcasting -- Working With the Coping Saw or Jigsaw -- Straw/Toothpick Sculpting -- Painting on Window Glass -- Diorama -- Peep Shows -- Whittling -- Wire Sculpture

[From: [Meaning in Crafts. Mattil,, Edward L. Chairman, Dept. of Art, North Texas State University. Third Edition, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1971.]

Wire Sculpture


Sculpturing need not be limited to solid forms, but can sometimes be created with just a piece of wire. It is very interesting to give each child about a yard's length of soft stovepipe wire and permit him to carry out his ideas with this material. The thinness and flexibility of the wire will send the child off exploring in entirely new directions. Wire sculpture is an especially desirable activity in the upper elementary grades, where children are becoming conscious of body joints and bends, such as knees and elbows, in their drawing and painting. Wire allows them to bend figures at the knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows, and lends itself to a greater flexibility than any other material that they have used before. This is a sort of sculpturing that permits the figure to throw the ball and be quickly bent in time to be the catcher. Wire sculpture lends itself to a sort of action sketching in three dimensions, with great consciousness and awareness of movement and, unconsciously, greater sensitivity.

Aluminum wire is about the easiest for boys and girls to use. This is very economical, extremely pliable, and noncorroding. The teacher can generally get a good supply of wire for sculpture and other activities simply by asking the newsboys in the class to save the wire that binds their bundles of newspapers together. As a rule, such a request to a group of elementary school boys brings an overwhelming response.

Wire sculptures are more attractive if they can be mounted upon a small piece of wood that the children can sand and wax, stain, or paint.

[Meaning in Crafts. Mattil,, Edward L. Chairman, Dept. of Art, North Texas State University. Third Edition, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1971.]




NOTEBOOK | Links

Copyright

The contents of this site, including all images and text, are for personal, educational, non-commercial use only. The contents of this site may not be reproduced in any form without proper reference to Text, Author, Publisher, and Date of Publication [and page #s when suitable].